7 min readLondonJul 16, 2025 09:56 AM IST
First published on: Jul 15, 2025 at 10:21 PM IST
There is this scorecard from the 2008 Ranji Trophy game between Saurashtra and Orissa that has a strange connection with the just concluded India-England Test at Lord’s. It has the following entries: No. 4 Cheteshwar Pujara (302), No.5 Sitanshu Kotak (37) and No. 6 Ravindra Jadeja (232). Pujara and Jadeja that day shared a record 5th wicket partnership of 520-runs – a mark that still stands.
That same Saurashtra middle-order was differently arranged at Lord’s on Monday. Pujara was in the commentators box as an expert, Kotak was in the Indian dressing room as the batting coach and Jadeja was in the middle just 22 runs away from a miracle.
Jadeja didn’t quite succeed but the all-rounder’s 181-ball 61 was an embodiment of courage and patience – the two qualities that India’s top-order can borrow from him the next time they pad up to chase a tricky fourth innings total.
Pujara doesn’t agree with the nit-picking over Jadeja’s slow crawl when batting with the tailenders. He also doesn’t see strength in the argument that the No.10 and No.11 couldn’t be expected to survive for that long. Or that Jasprit Bumrah (54 balls), Mohammed Siraj (30 balls) – were sure to fall in case the game stretched.
India’s Ravindra Jadeja plays a shot during the fifth day of the third cricket test match between England and India at Lord’s cricket ground in London, Monday, July 14, 2025. (AP Photo)
“He couldn’t have scored faster on that track. I felt that it was because the ball was soft, and the pitch was on the slower side. I guess, Jadeja would have thought that the tailenders were batting well and the team was getting close to the total. And once they were a little closer he would have taken his chances. I thought he was batting well. It was very difficult to score runs on that pitch,” says Pujara. Actually, Jadeja had already started taking chances. Just before Siraj got out, he had slashed at a ball that flew over the slips for four, and swung Ben Stokes to backward square-leg boundary.
Pujara had one suggestion, though a difficult one. “The only thing he could have done better is to look to score down the ground. Like there was a gap between mid-off and cover,” he says.
Things might have been different had Nitish Reddy not got out, just when Jadeja might have thought about taking that next step. Batting with tailenders comes with its own share of tightrope walks, even if Jadeja has been chaperoning India’s valiant bowlers who get invariably lumped with the task of salvaging top order crumbles on tricky wickets. The top 5 lasted 118 balls, while the bottom 5 fought for 322, but Jadeja who walked in at 71/5 haplessly watched KL Rahul, Washington Sundar and Nitish lose their wickets, and was in one right corner having to balance not folding up and still inching towards the target.
The aftermath saw the likes of Herschelle Gibbs question the Indian batsmen’s intent in pushing for a win and Sanjay Manjrekar wondering if Jadeja ought to have taken more risks. But even his fiercest critics would admit that India were 112/8 chasing 193, and losing a partner hung like a constant sword on his head.
It would have taken a natural big hitter to feel confident of clearing the field with this soft ball as Stokes had deep-set fielders. One risk that went awry from Jadeja would have killed the contest right there and then. And with the slow ball and the slowness of the pitch, it wasn’t easy either to punch and push for twos. Stokes had smartly set the fielders deep, but not always on the boundary to allow easy two’s.
Jadeja has nurtured patience as a virtue, having to curb his natural hitting T20 instinct for the team. With growing years, Jadeja’s batting numbers, especially abroad, have seen a significant spike. In the last 5 years, his batting average is 46. On this tour, with three not outs, he averages over 100 in three Tests. Pujara, who has seen his long-time batting partner since they played under-14, gives the reason.
“For the last five years, he has improved, especially abroad. He has been working hard. If you notice, even on the match day, he does his net practice. He has shown improvement when playing pace,” says Pujara about the cricketer who has been his team mate in the u-14 Saurashtra team, the u-19 India World Cup squad, for Ranji Trophy and senior Team India.
The other big difference is maturity. “Earlier it was the case of him not converting his good starts to big scores at the highest level. See one can’t get 300 in first class cricket without skills. But you need to convert, like you do at first-class level, at international level,” says Pujara.
India’s Ravindra Jadeja plays a shot during Day 5 of the 3rd test match against England, at Lord’s in London on Monday. (BCCI X/ANI Photo)
The other big change is Jadeja’s comfort level in facing seamers. “He is now able to face seamers and spinners equally well. Earlier, he was a good player of spin but lacked a little bit of strength against seamers, which is not the case now,” says Pujara.
The other noticeable aspect of Pujara’s batting in England has been his ability to leave balls. Many times, it would seem that the ball has missed Jadeja’s bat and he has been beaten by the movement. But replays would show that was not the case – Jadeja was in control of the shot and had read the ball’s trajectory right.
“That is because he is looking to play close to the body. He doesn’t go at a ball. He plays close to the body. And that is the reason, he lets the ball come to him. And this is also the reason why he plays the ball under the eyes. This comes naturally as you have decided to play the ball close to the body,” says Pujara.
The one-time India No.3 recalls that record Ranji partnership with Jadeja. “I would normally bat at number 3 or 4. He came later on. But we ended up scoring at the same rate since that was the time we had to declare,” recalls Pujara. Did they talk, exchange ideas? “Nothing much. I mean, it was more of casual talk,” he says. Even back in the day, Jadeja had a mind of own, that of a batsman.
India's Ravindra Jadeja plays a shot during the fifth day of the third test cricket match between India and England, at the Lord's Cricket Ground, in London, Monday July 14, 2025. (PTI Photo) 
India’s Ravindra Jadeja plays a shot during the fifth day of the third cricket test match between England and India at Lord’s cricket ground in London, Monday, July 14, 2025. (AP Photo)
India’s Ravindra Jadeja plays a shot during Day 5 of the 3rd test match against England, at Lord’s in London on Monday. (BCCI X/ANI Photo)
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